Photo by: Savage Lands
Savage Lands, the musician-run non-profit, has announced that they received a one million Euro donation from French festival Hellfest to support their ongoing reforestation efforts in Costa Rica and Europe. Musician-turned-activist Sylain Demercastel, who founded the group alongside Megadeth drummer Dirk Verbeuren, comments:
“This is a historical move by Hellfest and a great signal to the music industry. Such an extraordinarily generous donation from a renowned festival is just another example of the many ways that the metal community supports each other.”
The donation is only a part of the collaboration between the group and festival. The pair have entered into a five-year partnership, which will afford Savage Lands a booth to host on the festival’s grounds. This year saw Bill Hudson (I Am Morbid), members of Dimmu Borgir, and others stop by to learn more about green zones, nature sanctuaries, and other biodiversity preservation projects that Savage Lands is building in Costa Rica. So far, the non-profit has protected 60,000 square feet of rain forest using 100% of the royalties from their music.
Many of their friends showed up to support Savage Lands at Hellfest. Sylvain was backed by Florian Pons (Loco Muerte) and Poun and Etienne Treton (Black Bomb A). Sepultura’s Andreas Kiss and Textures’ Daniel de Jongh joined for their entire set, which kicked off with “The Last Howl”. The track is a tribute to the endangered howler monkey. Chloe Trujillo joined in for the blackened groove of “Black Rock Heart”. To close out the performance, Savage Lands brought out Jesper Liveröd (Nasum), Alejandro Montoya (Cultural Tres), Billy Graziadei (Biohazard) and Shane Embury (Napalm Death) for a rendition of “Roots”. Embury comments:
“I’ve known Andreas for such a long time. It was great sharing the stage with him and all of these wonderful musicians. Meeting and becoming friends with Sylvain and the rest of his band was a beautiful experience.
Making true creative connections like this is so important. That’s a big part of what draws me to Savage Lands. We are connected with every living thing on this planet and their organization is helping to preserve nature’s treasures. I’m happy to be a part of such a truly important cause.”
Some of the artists who performed with Savage Lands at Hellfest have already committed to working on their upcoming album, which will arrive via Season of Mist. Currently, Demercastel and Verbeuren are looking for more festivals and other prominent members of the metal community to join them in their mission. Demercastel says:
“Our goals are attainable. By converting the land that we purchase into nature sanctuaries, Savage Lands will help set a precedent for environmental activism. But we must act quickly. Ecosystems are still under attack. If we don’t, then there won’t be any wildlife left to save.”
If you would like to donate to Savage Lands, you can do so here.